The Panthers' explosive cornerback collected 148 yards on five punt returns, while his 71-yard punt return late in the fourth quarter also stands as the fifth longest in school history. It's also the longest non-scoring return in FIU history. The Miami native shattered the previous record of 97 punt return yards, which was set in 2011 against Florida Atlantic by now-NFL standout, T.Y. Hilton. Leonard also had a 54-yard kick return in the second quarter.
On the defensive side of the ball, junior
Denzell Perine set career highs in sacks (3) and tackles for loss (3/9.0). In all, the Panthers backline was able to accumulate 40 yards on 10 tackles for loss.
Senior safety
Justin Halley's pass breakup on B-CU's opening drive moved the Boca Raton, Fla., native three pass break-ups shy of No. 2 all-time in program history. On the Wildcats' opening drive, Halley got in front of the B-CU receiver, slicing through the center of the field, forcing a fourth down. Junior
Lars Koht collected FIU's first sack of the season on the following play.
B-CU broke a scoreless game with 11:26 to go in the second quarter. A one-yard touchdown run by the Wildcats' Michael Jones on first and goal gave the Wildcats' the an early 7-0 lead.
FIU responded with six points on back-to-back drives that resulted in a field goal. In his first drive under center for the Panthers, true freshman
Alex McGough guided FIU 36 yards on six plays, setting sophomore
Austin Taylor up for a 25-yard field goal.
Taylor's second 25-yarder came on the Panthers following drive. In a series that saw McGough connect 28 yards with junior tight end
Ya'Keem Griner, FIU covered 53 yards on 10 plays and cut the deficit to one point. B-CU entered halftime with a 7-6 edge.
The Wildcats pulled ahead, 14-6, 3:34 into the fourth quarter, as the team converted a deep pass on third and nine. FIU responded with a four-play, seven-yard drive, resulting in a touchdown, following a 71-yard punt return from Leonard. The five-yard pass from McGough to junior
T.J. Lowder was the first of the Tampa, Fla., native's career.
The score stood, 14-12, with 5:16 to go in the game. A failed last-second field goal attempt by the Panthers ended the contest.
Sophomore
Jonnu Smith's two catches in the game moved the Ocala, Fla., native into second place in school history for catches by a tight end with 41.
FIU returns to action next weekend as the Panthers host Wagner. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. from Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
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All FIU games will broadcast live on 1210AM with
Mike Levine (play-by-play) and
Pete Pelegrin (color analyst) calling the action. 1210AM ESPN Deportes will also feature full coverage of FIU football, including pre- and post-game analysis, as well as interviews with coaches, players and staff leading up to each game.
FIU's remaining seven home games features non-conference foes Wagner (Sept. 6), Pittsburgh (Sept. 13) and Louisville (Sept. 20) and C-USA opponents Florida Atlantic (Oct. 2), Marshall (Oct. 8), Rice (Nov. 1) and Middle Tennessee (Nov. 15).
For FIU football ticket information, log onto
www.FIUSports.com or contact the University Credit Union Box Office at 305-FIU-GAME (348-4263).
For the latest information on Panthers football, follow us on Twitter, @FIUFootball, and check out
Pete Pelegrin's in-depth coverage of FIU Athletics on his official blog, The Prowl, at
www.FIUSports.com.
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium. About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida¹s anchor institutions, FIU is Worlds Ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu 